Interview with Barack and Michelle Obama after the elections

The CBS News '60 Minutes' interview exclusive with the US President-elect Barack Obama and US First Lady Michelle Obama after the elections. November 16, 2008

Black Eurovision Song Contest Part 2: Laura Izibor (Ireland)

Afro-Irish Laura Izibor is the international rising R&B star from Ireland. Entertainment Ireland wrote, "It's safe to say the hype surrounding Laura Izibor is founded, Ireland is clearly a place where she is honing her talent before she takes on the rest of the world and proves that she is an actual contender for the crowns of Angie Stone and Alicia Keys." Isibor is born in Dublin to an Irish mother and Trinidadian father
Read: Laura Izibor's official website

Black philanthropy on Black Gives Back

I came across the blog Black gives back, a blog about black philanthropy. It’s a blog full of truly inspirational examples of black Americans helping other black people. I asked the blogger why she started this blog. "Before I started blackgivesback, my plan was to create a blog for my Washington, D.C. based charity, highlighting issues and programs in and around D.C. But then I thought, why just focus on my hometown of D.C.? So I then switched my focus to include what's going on in the world with philanthropy in the black community. My blog showcases what celebrities and everyday people are doing to make this world a better place, and it highlights current issues of importance to Black America."

On the photo Boxer Ronald Lamont "Winky" Wright (left) and singer/actress Christina Milian (right) pose with sickle cell guest Maliah. Sickle cell anemia is an inherited blood disorder that is common among African Americans. [And Afro-Europeans.]
Read: The William E. Proudford Sicle Cell fund, Inc

So what are the black folks in Europe doing? I hope giving you – and myself- the answers in upcoming posts

Black British MP Dawn Butler inspired by Obama's Victory

Dawn Butler, a member of Parliament in the UK, launched a new initiative after Obama's victory. She has used this symbolic moment to launch a new platform to aid future UK BAME politicians; Bernie’s List. BAMA stands for Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic. Bernie’s List is a new initiative put forward by a coalition of UK Members of Parliament to strengthen the UK’s democracy by increasing diversity and representation in Parliament.
Read: Racism is common in the House of Commons says Butler

U.S. protest against racist insult of Obama on Austrian TV

After Obama's victory former Austrian US Correspondent Klaus Emmerich said in live broadcast on a Austrian TV channel, that he wouldn't take any orders from a black person in the western world. The U.S. ambassador filed a protest against the insult and demanded a clear apology from the responsible official TV channel.
Read: U.S. protest against racist insult of Obama on Austrian TV

Whoopi Goldberg: Would Barack Obama be president if he had a white wife?

During a television show moderator Whoopi Goldberg talked about race and skin colour. She confessed that she was woken up during the night by a "strange thought" regarding Michelle Obama. "It was a thought that had never occurred to me," she began. "Barack Obama is one of the few men that we have seen who is a black man who has a very, very dark-skinned wife. She's very dark-skinned for normally what you see. And I wondered to myself, would he be electable if he had a white wife?"
Read: Michelle Obama's Darker Shade Of Skin: Whoopi Weighs In (Video)

Black Eurovision Song Contest Part 1: Giovanca (The Netherlands)

Black Eurovision Song Contest Part 1. The Afro-Dutch singer Giovanca Ostiana - Amsterdam based with Dutch Antillean roots - is the revelation of 2008. Feel-good music with influences from pop, soul, jazz, Motown and hip hop
Read: Giovanca's official website

Blogging from the suburbs of France

After and during the French riots in 2005, blogging became a way for the French youth to tell their stories. Now that the unrest has gone, a few blogs still tell the stories of living in the suburbs. One of those blogs is Bondy Blog. It gives an inside look in the suburban neighbourhoods of France, where Obama is a source of inspiration for young 'Magrebs' and Afro-Europeans.
Read: Bondy Blog (translated)

Barack Obama could not become British prime minister

Trevor Phillips, the chairman of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, claims Barack Obama could not become prime minister in Britain because of "institutional racism" in the British political system.
Mr Phillips said that while there were just 15 ethnic-minority MPs in the House of Commons, it nonetheless demonstrates that "the problem is not the electorate, the problem is the machine."

Watch video: Barack Obama could not become British prime minister
Read: Barack Obama could not become British prime minister

Do black people collect art?

New ideas from the Netherlands. My First Art Collection is a training program for people who want to learn how to collect art. During the first training My first Art Collection: 20 participants get the chance to experience the art world in a personal way from the inside. In 13 meetings the participants are prepared to be a collector of contemporary art! über blick
From january - june 2009/ Amsterdam and Rotterdam / 375 euro

French blacks expect change after Obama victory

French blacks expect change after Obama victory. Now that Obama will be the first black president, and African-Americans are at the dawn of a new era, the contrast with blacks in France becomes painfully clear. Youssoupha, a black rapper with a master’s degree from the Sorbonne, hit like many well-educated blacks, a brick wall. “I found myself working in fast-food places with people who had the equivalent of a 15-year-old’s level of education,” he recalled. In a survey carried out by TNS-Sofres for CRAN, the French NAACP, in 2007, more than two out of three French blacks said they had been the victims of racial discrimination in their country. And more than 80 per cent said that the situation was not improving.
Read:
For Blacks in France, Obama’s Rise Is Reason to Rejoice, and to Hope

French blacks hail Obama victory - and expect change

Finally a black guy as president!!

Barack Obama, a black man as the president of United States of America. This is absolutely a great moment. Not only for the African-American community but for the entire black community. I hoped it wouldn’t be race thing, but for black folks it is. Colin Powel became emotional during an interview and Condoleeza Rice spoke at a press conference, as an African-American, about the factor 'race' in America'. At the end there was no doubt about it, this is not a Republican thing or a Democratic thing, it is a black thing.

Where's the Afro-European Obama?

Tomorrow will we know if Obama will be the first black president of the US. But what about Europe?

Many black Europeans say victory for Barack Obama in the U.S. election might set an example that could help remedy their under-representation in European politics. But they emphasize that the U.S. Democrat inspires a massive following in Europe through his ideas and charisma, not just because of his color.
Read: Black Europeans pin political hopes on Obama